Dear Alixia
by cojack
Summary: C/7. Seven and Chakotay's daughter writes letters to her PADD-pal on New Talaxia. Set in the universe described in "That Good Night". Fluff? You betcha. I wanted to highlight some things we gloss over in the Star Trek universe.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: It's Paramount's galaxy.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: C/7. Seven and Chakotay's daughter writes letters to her PADD-pal on New Talaxia. Set in the universe described in "That Good Night". Fluff? You betcha. I wanted to highlight some things we gloss over in the Star Trek universe.

Not sure if anyone will find these humorous or not, but here goes. We'll start out with two letters about the similarity between species and the universal translator and see what you think.

#

DEAR ALIXIA

Stardate 65115.8

#

Dear Ali-X-ia,

We're back orbiting Earth for a short visit. Mama and Papa went on a date tonight, so Mezoti came up from school and was left in charge. I asked Mezoti why there are so many humanoid species in the Galaxy, but I don't think she knows because she told me not to bother her. I think Earther features are the most boring. We don't have any bumps or ridges or antenna. I told Mezoti I wanted an implant over my eye like her and Mama. She got angry at me for some reason. She gets all serious and tries to talk like Mama when she's scolding me.

Anyway, it's true about Earthers. My best friend on the Sacagawea is part Klingon, and they have all these interesting ridges and bumps on their forehead. My sisters and brother are the same way! Mezoti is Norcadian, and they have a bump between their eyes. Jaxa is from Bajor, and has some ridges between her eyes. Icheb is from Brunali, and he has a ridge on his forehead. Not big like Klingons, but kind of long and thin.

Did you know Icheb and Jaxa are married? Jaxa gave me an earring the last time I saw her. I like to wear it all the time. It has silver loops with turquoise stones. Turquoise is blue. Have you ever seen an Andorian? There's one on our ship. He doesn't have any bumps or ridges, but he has these antennas on his head. Andorians are also blue.

I heard someone once say I look like Papa, so I thought I might draw a tattoo on my face like he has. His is all one color and is of an eagle claw or something. It's kind of plain so I decided to make mine colorful. I have a set of markers, and made some flowers. I ran out of room on my temple, so I extended a little onto my cheek.

Mezoti was REALLY unhappy. Mama and Papa smiled, but made me wash my tattoo off. Papa said when I'm older, perhaps I could get a real tattoo like him.

Is Brax still mad at you about the plomeek soup incident? Write back soon.

Your friend in the alpha quadrant,

I-X-chell

P.S. Green, grid 13-3.

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…65115.8

… awaiting Alixia's response …

#

Dear Alixia,

I asked Mama to make some leola root stew like you said and she gave me a funny look. Your Dad must be wrong because I don't think they like it.

I was wondering how the UT knows how to translate words a certain way when they are real close. Like Papa and Dad or Daddy. I wonder how those are translated in Talaxian. When you write about your Papa it translates to Dad, but how do we know it's getting it right? When I talk to Ensign Chiin (he's the Andorian here on the Sacagawea), am I really speaking in Andorian to his ears? I wonder how I sound. He told me once my voice was like his daughter's, but isn't that just the UT speaking in his ears?

And the UT doesn't translate everything. My aunt sometimes teaches me Klingon words, but why doesn't the UT translate them in my ears? I hear them in Klingonese. It's all so mysterious and confusing. I asked Papa about it, and he didn't know anything. Mama started trying to explain it, but I didn't understand. I guess I'm like Papa.

I asked the computer to let me hear Talaxian spoken without the UT, and it doesn't sound anything like my Earth language. Shouldn't I be able to tell if someone was speaking a different language by how their lips move compared to what I hear? I can't tell with Ensign Chiin. He says he's speaking in Andorian.

We should develop our own language so if the UT fails we can still talk to each other. Or I suppose I could learn Talaxian. Is that hard?

Aloha,

Ixchell

P.S. Aloha means hello **_and_** goodbye in an Earth language. Write what you get in Talaxian back to me and let's see what the UT does. Oh, and Red, grid 5-7.

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…65141.2

… awaiting Alixia's response …


	2. Chapter 2

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The next chapter of "Recharting the Course" is coming along slowly, but I did "find" two more letters about techno-babble, transporters, star dates and other fluff, I mean, stuff. It's hard to write this from a 7 1/2 year old's perspective, but fortunately, Chakotay and Seven's daughter _is_ very precocious.

#

Dear Alixia,

Do you have transporters on New Talaxia? We do. To tell you the truth, I'm still a little creeped out about using the transporter. It feels like my skin is still tingling long after I rematerialize and I worry if everything was put back together correctly. I held my eyes open during my last transport and I could still see my hands the whole time. How is that possible and how can we keep seeing and thinking while in the transporter beam if we've been converted to energy and are in a transporter buffer or stream or whatever?

Mama says for Earth it was in the early 22nd century when Dr. Emory Erickson devised a way to construct a sub-diffraction limited imaging array that could lock onto femptometer sized targets through a spatial variant while employing a Heisenberg uncertainty compensator and channel the excess matter-energy conversion through subspace manifolds to avoid matter hyper-disassociation in our space-time continuum (that last part sounds scary). I think she was trying to make me feel better when I didn't want to go on the transporter. I asked her later to repeat it so I could get a recording and write it down to send you. I don't know what it all means, but I guess it makes me feel better to know that Mama does. I'm a little nervous to ask Mama another question about it because she might think I'm interested in quantum chromodynamics (whatever that is! I overheard Mezoti and Mama talking about it the other day during their weekly subspace comm link and wanted to include it in your letter also).

Anyway, I can't believe the news that Brax is going to StarfleetAcademy on Earth. He'll be the first Talaxian to attend. It seems like everyone goes to StarfleetAcademy, but I've been there and it doesn't seem big enough. Might you come to the alpha quadrant when he's dropped off? Icheb and Jaxa both just got promoted and are staying on the _Stockholm_ for another tour. They recently had a baby and named her after Admiral Janeway, so I'm now an aunt! Kathryn, but they call her Katie. I haven't met her yet, but they did send us some holoimages. She's so cute!

BFFAB,

Ixchell

P.S. That was a good move. When I showed Mama our game, she said you used the classic Bushall-Savick gambit and wondered if your Dad is giving you lessons. I looked it up and Bushall and Savick were both Kadis-kot grand masters a long time ago, even before Mama and Papa were our age. Do you want to start another?

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…65188.9

… awaiting Alixia's response …

#

Dear Alixia,

I found out today that not everyone on Earth uses stardates. Right now, on Earth, it's March 14, 2388. Well, not all of Earth, but at least in a place called Greenwich. I'm not exactly sure if everyone on Earth uses the same calendar, but I do know that it's really only Starfleet that uses stardates.

March is a month. It's named after Mars, which is another planet in Earth's solar system. Actually, the planet and month are both named after the Roman god of war. In Rome long ago, they worshiped a bunch of gods, at least that's what the Federation database said, and some of the months are named after those gods. There are twelve months in a year, and each lasts 30 or 31 Earth days, the time of the Earth's moon's orbit. Actually, February has only 28 days in it, most of the time anyway. By the way, you'll never guess what the Earth's moon is called. I'll tell you at the end of this letter. 14 is the day of the month, and 2388 is the number of Earth years since someone named Jesus of Nazareth was born on Earth. Actually, not exactly, since the person who first made the calculation made a mistake. It was actually a few years earlier.

So, almost sixty years ago, Starfleet started using stardates that count off 1000 SD basetime units every Earth year. For some reason they started at zero on January 1, 2323 (January 1st marks the beginning of an Earth year, so I don't think that's anyone special's birthday, but I might be wrong). They also had stardates before that, but it was all mixed up. I saw a report Icheb gave while _Voyager_ was in the delta quadrant about a captain named James T. Kirk, and the stardates jumped around all over the place, sometimes going backwards! There's a complicated formula that depends not only on the time but on your location and how fast you're traveling and how close you are to a star or planet. Time passes differently depending on those things. How could anyone meet up for a date or to go out to eat with such a confusing system? Fortunately they abandoned the original stardate system in the early 24th century and now just constantly reset a star ship's clocks when needed to always match something called Galactocentric inertial Earth time (GIET).

Anyway, I was born on Earth on October 1, 2380. October just means "8th month", although it's really the 10th month of the year. Years used to begin in March.

I guess that's still kind of confusing. It's good the computer knows what date it is so we don't forget. How do you keep dates and times on New Talaxia?

Ta,

Ixchell

PS. Earth's moon is called… Moon. Isn't that silly? Red, grid 10-8

PPS. Do you like The Adventures of Flotter? They just came out with a new holoprogram!

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…65201.5

… awaiting Alixia's response …


	3. Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Again, the next chapter of "Recharting the Course" is coming along slowly. Watching the new "Cosmos" this past weekend got me thinking of very large numbers, and interestingly enough, Ixchell was thinking along the same lines in her second letter below. I think I prefer the original "Cosmos," but of course it's hard to say after only one episode.

Dear Alixia,

Tell me about it! Both Papa and Mama claim they didn't even know about Flotter and Trevis when they were kids, and Mama just doesn't understand. She gave me a whole lesson on the difference between evolution and metamorphosis when I mentioned how Trevis' friends evolve from buds to their different forms. Then, when she overheard Miral and I chatting about what they look like and their magical bud-powers, she lectured us on how magic wasn't real and spent ten minutes trying to get us interested in conducting a science experiment in the galley. Now she wants me to start memorizing stuff about real plants, animals and other organisms from the various planets we're visiting instead.

When it comes to The Adventures, why can't they be more like my friend Miral's parents? They just laugh when we gush about Flotter and Trevis. Aunt B'Elanna said that Trevis didn't have his buds when she was a little girl. Imagine that. Uncle Tom helped us establish a comm with Deep Space Three when the new adventure was released, and that was in the middle of the night ship time. Sometimes he even joins us on the holodeck to play along, and it seems like he has as much fun as we do. So, Papa and Mama talked about it and I can still play my programs on the holodeck. I'm going to have to learn something new about each planet we visit though.

To answer your question, I have collected nearly all of them. I particularly like Juniperfir.

I'll write you a longer letter soon.

Yours sincerely,

Ixchell

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…65215.9

… awaiting Alixia's response …

#

Dear Alixia,

I did forget to make a move in my last letter. I'll make it first so I don't forget this time. Red, grid 2-3.

Here's a fun fact I learned when visiting a planet the other day. There are more cells in our body than stars in the Galaxy. About 42 trillion as compared to 400 billion. That's like 100 galaxies of cells inside each of us right now!

On that planet, there are huge amoeba-like creatures that flowed about on the surface and they had 100 times more cells than me. When they moved, they would cover plants and digested stuff through their skin. It was like watching lava, although the slime-creatures (that's what I started calling them) were more a purple color than red. Mama tried to determine if they were sentient, but it seemed clear to me they were not. I helped her analyze the data. She got real excited when we discovered the essential amino acids they need are totally different than the ones we need. Everything on the planet was the same way, so we wouldn't be able to survive on the planet eating the same things the slime-creatures eat. Something like that anyway.

Its amazing Earthers and Talaxians and Klingons and Andorians and Bolians and Romulans and everyone else are so much alike that we can eat the same things. For some of the meals here on the _Sacagawea_, sometimes I wish we couldn't eat the same thing. I just don't like Klingon food _at all_, and Andorian food is always so cold. I wonder if there are some amino acids in leola root that don't agree with Earthers. I think we're so much alike because the Progenitors seeded all those planets so long ago, Earth and Talax included I guess.

The planet we visited was an unexpected discovery and everyone aboard was quite excited about it. The _Sacagawea_ is surveying a globular cluster just outside the disk of the Galaxy (nowhere near the Delta quadrant, by the way). It's weird looking out and seeing half the sky nearly totally black; just a few faint stars and distant smudges that are other galaxies in one direction, and the whole disk of the Milky Way with so many stars in the other. Anyway, there aren't many M class planets in the cluster. Miral says it's because the stars are squished together and it messes up the orbits of planets in the habitable zones.

If there are 100 billion galaxies in the universe, that would make 40 trillion billion stars, or 40 sextillion. That's 4 with 22 zeros! 40,000,000,000,000,000,000,000! Papa mentioned the possibility of many universes existing in a greater multiverse. Imagine that! How many stars might that be?

With 10 billion people on Earth now, that's 400 sextillion cells. With all the different planets and species in the Federation, that's like a multiverse of cells! Isn't it wonderful that New Talaxia is a full member of the Federation now? Somehow that and how we can eat the same food makes me feel a little closer.

Love,

Ixchell

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…65222.2

… awaiting Alixia's response …


	4. Chapter 4

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Short and still just fluff. Not entirely sure where these letters are going, but I've been thinking of a thread with Mezoti, and then have at least one when Alixia and Ixchell are adults…

#

Dear Alixia,

Our holodeck is now off limits.

It all started when Miral and I were running the latest Flotter holoprogram. Miral's Dad was with us. He wanted to check out the new features. The ship happened to go through an ionized nebula while we were in the holodeck and that created all sorts of problems. There was an energy discharge from the nebula that overloaded the holomatrix, and we became stuck in the program. We couldn't change it or get out of the holodeck until we completed the story! That wouldn't have been too bad (it's a pretty good episode after all, bringing back the Fire Ogre), but the safety protocols somehow got turned off. I really don't think we would have gotten hurt, even with the safety protocols off. Miral's Dad, however, didn't want to take any chances. He found the emergency interface and was able to access the main computer. But when he asked to "get us to safety," (I forget exactly what he said) somehow the computer interpreted this as him asking to integrate a bat'leth safety program he wrote for Miral into the Flotter program. Before we knew it, many of the Flotter characters started turning into Klingons! They weren't trying to fight us, but it was kind of dangerous now with Flotter/Klingon and Fire Ogre/Klingon handling bat'leths. They're not too coordinated you know. One of them even accidently chopped Trevis down! It was awful. We were also now having a hard time getting through the plot, with the main characters being Klingons and all and wanting to stop all the time to show us how to use a bat'leth. Fortunately, a group of photonic beings resident to this part of space became interested in our situation and infiltrated the holodeck through a spatial rift. They were able to restore Flotter and Trevis and banish the Klingons back to their own holoprogram. The sad thing is, somehow Flotter and the whole gang became self-aware during the restoration and decided to leave with the photonic beings when they went back to their realm.

It was the best fun Miral and I have ever had on the holodeck! The sad thing is we'll have to start the whole holoprogram over from the very beginning. That is if we're ever allowed back on the holodeck. Mama and Papa took it off-line until it can be repaired.

What's up with you?

Love,

Ixchell

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…65267.5

… awaiting Alixia's response …

#

Dear Alixia,

Ixchell is not feeling well and asked that I write you. I guess you're on a particular correspondence schedule and she didn't want to miss her time. The _Sacagawea_ has been in Earth's system and she's been busy with all sorts of things (and now of course has a bad case of the Levodian flu). We've never met, but perhaps she's told you of her sister Mezoti. That's me.

I'm a bit older than she is. I'm almost nineteen years old (Earth years), so about eleven years older than Ixchell. I'm currently attending university here on Earth, and NO, it's not Starfleet Academy. It's amazing to me how many people think that just because I'm attending school on Earth, I must be attending one of the campuses of Starfleet Academy. Not at all. I'm attending the University of Iceland in Reykjavík. It has a wonderful Early Federation Studies department and I'm specializing in Andorian pre-Vulcan culture and literature.

I met your brother. We had him up to the _Sacagawea_ for a visit. He was really sweet, although Ixchell wouldn't give him the time of day. He was really trying, though. He had nice things to say about you. There was only one time when he seemed annoyed after Ixchell mentioned something about a plomeek soup incident.

Next term I'll be spending the whole semester at an archeological site on Andoria. I've arranged to stay with Ensign Chiin's family. He's a crewman on the _Sacagawea_ and a member of the Imperial Guard. I'm crazy excited about it.

Let's see. Ixchell says that she misses you and can't wait to see you. Perhaps we'll meet someday as well. Brax said that your whole family might be visiting Earth sometime.

Sincerely,

Mezoti (for Ixchell)

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…65301.9

… awaiting Alixia's response …


	5. Chapter 5

Dear Alixia,

This is Ixchell's sister, Mezoti. Please do me a huge favor. Get the following coordinates to my mother and father in one of your letters to my sister.

1127.4/4052.0/3901.1

The tricky part is, they can't look like galactic coordinates, but they do have to be associated with me somehow. Tell them I'm fine and I look forward to seeing them soon. My parents will know what to do. It is vital that no one other than my parents get these coordinates no matter what they say.

Delete this message as soon as you record the coordinates. Ask your dad how to do that. My parents trust him and he might have an idea about how to disguise the coordinates.

Thank you!

Mezoti

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…66013.9

… memory wipe …

… deleting transmission record …

#

To:

Alixia

New Talaxia Protectorate

From:

Vulcan Science Academy, Gol, Vulcan 87ar3

Vulcan-Andoria Prehistory Contact Studies Department

It has come to our attention that the student Mezoti Hansen has gone missing along with a few others while at an archeological site on Andoria. With her disappearance, some vital information has also been removed from the site. A message trace indicates her last transmission off world was to somewhere in the Protectorate of New Talaxia. You have been determined to an adequate degree of certainty to be the recipient of said message.

The Vulcan Science Academy is concerned for Miss Hansen's safety. Rest assured we will work tirelessly to locate the young woman and her companions. Any information you could provide us regarding her whereabouts would be most welcome and appreciated. We know you share our concern and will provide what information you have.

Please respond directly to this message at your earliest convenience.

With High Regards,

Savin

Director, Vulcan-Andoria Contact Studies, PhD, VLD

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…66015.2

… trace …

… security override – output suppressed …

#

To:

Neelix, guardian of minor Alixia, New Talaxia Protectorate

From:

General Shraft, Imperial Intelligence, Andoria

At the behest of the Administrator of Andoria-Vulcan Prehistory Contact Studies at the University of Kalamar, Andorian Imperial Intelligence has taken charge of the current situation. It has been brought to our attention Mezoti Hansen along with others have taken critical information from an Andorian archeological site. Currently the situation is volatile, and could become extreme the longer it is protracted. The suspect's last contact was with your daughter Alixia, although no further information concerning the transmission was retained in the transmission log. It is being investigated to determine if this deletion was purposeful and done with malice. I do not want this incident to jeopardize New Talaxia's application for full membership into the United Federation of Planets, the committee of which is currently headed by Andoria's ambassador and council member. We expect your full cooperation.

It is vital this data is recovered and secured to avoid dire circumstances. Respond immediately with any information you have concerning the whereabouts of said Mezoti Hansen.

Signed,

Shraft

Chief Prosecutor, Imperial Intelligence

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…66015.4

… trace …

… security override – output suppressed …

#

Dear Alixia,

My name is Admiral Kathryn Janeway and I'm with Starfleet. Your father and I are good friends. Perhaps you and he could clear up a mystery for me.

The Vulcan and Andoria ambassadors to the Federation Council are demanding I determine if you know the current location of Mezoti Hansen. She is the daughter of two other friends of your father's, Captain Chakotay and Commander Annika Hansen, and also the sister of, I believe, a good friend of yours, Ixchell Hansen.

I finally agreed to send you a message. Both ambassadors are very agitated (at least the Andorian ambassador is, it's hard to tell with the Vulcan ambassador) but have so far not told me the details of what the situation is. Please show this to your father. He knows Mezoti and will know what to do.

Your father has sent me holoimages of you and I understand your brother is attending Starfleet Academy. I would very much like to meet you one day. Please look me up when you visit Earth.

Sincerely,

Kathryn

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…66013.9

… awaiting Alixia's response …


	6. Chapter 6

Dear Alixia,

You are the greatest. Thank you so much. When you do visit Earth, I'm going to treat you and Ixchell to something special.

Everything worked out beautifully thanks to you. What an exciting adventure. Now Vulcan, Andoria, even the Xindi Aquatics are asking I study in their research departments. This has been a wonderful experience.

Thank you again.

Love,

Mezoti.

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…66018.5

#

Dear Alixia,

Good grief. Can you believe all that was about a dispute over the actual first contact date between Vulcan and Andoria? You should see Mezoti. I would say she's bouncing off the walls as if she just discovered a trans-dimensional wormhole, but that's not really happening. She is smiling and talking a lot more, which is unusual for her. I guess it is kind of special that it was her discovery and she did get to go on a grand adventure. We picked her up on the world of Azati Prime, and that was kind of fun for me. It's inhabited by the Xindi Aquatics. They helped Mezoti somehow. One of them was on the archeological team.

It looks like this might be my last letter to you. With the new sub-space repeater, in just a few days we can establish private links between New Talaxia and anywhere in the alpha quadrant. Isn't that exciting? From now on we'll be talking to each other face to face!

See you soon! Maybe we can play a real game of Kadis-Kot. Mama and Papa said it was brilliant to disguise the coordinates in the moves of your last letter. Was that really your idea?

Mezoti's right. You are a great friend.

Love,

Ixchell.

… translating to Talaxian …transmitting…66018.6


End file.
